正念冥想减压

    From VOA Learning English, this is the Health Report.
    这里是美国之音慢速英语健康报道。

    Have you heard of "mindfulness meditation?"
    你听说过正念冥想吗?

    Meditation, or deep breathing and quiet thinking, used to be found only at spiritual places and yoga centers.
    冥想是指深呼吸并安静地思考,过去只见于宗教场所或瑜伽中心。

    But these days mindfulness meditation can be found almost everywhere in the United States – from offices to schools, from prisons to the military.
    但最近正念冥想几乎红遍美国各地--从办公室到学校,从监狱到军队。

    New Age People
    新时代人士

    People who meditate, practice yoga and similar exercises are sometimes called "New Age." They are usually healthy eaters. Many New Age people do not eat meat. They may follow Eastern religions such as Taoism or Buddhism.
    冥想、练习瑜伽或类似运动的人有时被称为“新时代人士”。他们通常是健康饮食者。许多新时代人士不吃肉。他们可能信奉东方宗教,例如道教或佛教。

    A New Age person may talk about being "in the moment." And that is at the heart of the Mindfulness Meditation Movement – thinking about the present, not the past and not the future.
    新时代人士可能会谈及“活在当下”。这是正念冥想运动的核心 -- 想着现在,不去想过去和未来。

    The mindfulness movement has been around for many years. But now it is being called a revolution. Supporters say this revolution may reduce tensions, stress and improve the body, mind and spirit.
    正念运动已经存在很多年。但现在它被称之为一场革命。支持者说,这一革命可以减少紧张和压力,改善身心。

    For example, think about what can be a sometimes stressful situation – a visit to the doctor, especially the dentist.
    举例来说,想想去看医生,尤其是牙医,有时候这可能会是一次紧张的情境。

    Sitting in a dentist's chair can make a person feel worried and tense. You might be surprised to hear that the dentist can feel this way too.
    坐在牙医的椅子上就能让一个人感到忧虑和紧张。你可能会觉得很惊讶:牙医也有这样的感觉。

    Alona Bauer is a dentist in Washington, D.C. She describes how her working environment can be tense.
    阿尔纳·鲍尔(Alona Bauer)是华盛顿特区的一位牙医。她描述了她的工作环境为何会紧张。

    "So, there is definitely stress. You work in a small environment and it's very exact. It's very precise. Plus you're managing the patient as a comfort. So, there's great stress right there."
    她说,“肯定会有压力。你的工作是在一个很小的环境里(指口腔),它需要很精确。另外你控制着病人的舒适度。所以会有很大的压力。”

    Ms. Bauer practices mindfulness meditation at a yoga center in Washington, D.C. to help to reduce her nervous tension or stress.
    鲍尔女士在华盛顿特区的一家瑜伽中心练习正念冥想以帮助她减少精神紧张或压力。

    Hugh Byrne has been teaching mindfulness meditation since 2000. He says being mindful is all about thinking about the present.
    休·伯恩(Hugh Byrne)自2000年以来一直在教正念冥想。他说,正念就是只想着现在。

    "So as you sit here or lie here, see if you can open to whatever you're experiencing right now ..."
    他说,“当你在这里或坐或躺时,看看你是否能够向你现在正经历的一切放开身心。”

    Mr. Byrne says that some forms of meditation are about clearing the mind of all thoughts. Mindfulness meditation, he says, is not. It is about being aware of the here-and-now.
    伯恩先生表示,某些形式的冥想是清空所有想法。他说正念冥想不是这样。它是体会当下。

    Unplugging Plays An Important Role
    与世隔离起着重要作用

    Americans work more and have less vacation time than people in most other developed countries. Daily travel to work and school can be long and difficult.
    美国人比其它大多数发达国家的人们工作更久,休息更少。每天上班和上学费时费力。

    The pressures of emails, texts and social media make it harder and harder to unplug or shut off. But shutting off is part of the "Mindful Revolution."
    电子邮件、短信、社交媒体的压力使得人们越来越难以与世隔离。但与世隔离也是冥想革命的一部分。

    Critics, however, say "mindful meditation" is temporary popular interest, what we call a "fad." They say it ignores the moral substance of the ancient Buddhist tradition of meditation.
    然而批评人士表示,正念冥想是暂时流行的兴趣,也就是我们所说的时尚。他们表示,它忽略了冥想这种古老佛教传统的道德要义。

    Mr. Byrne does not agree. He says mindfulness meditation is a way for anyone to reduce pressure, tension and stress. He calls it a broad doorway.
    伯恩先生对此不认同。他说,正念冥想是一种让人减轻压力和紧张的途径。他称其为一个宽阔的出入口。

    " ... a broad doorway for people to come in ... people who might say, ‘I'm not really interested in Buddhism or Eastern spirituality. But I do want less stress. I do want less anxiety.'"
    他说,“这是一个宽阔的出入口。人们可能会说,‘我对佛教或东方灵修没有兴趣。但我希望少些压力少些焦虑。”

    Studies show that young Americans increasingly consider themselves "spiritual but not religious." Mr. Byrne says mindfulness is for them as it is for Ms. Bauer who grew up in the former Soviet Union. She says religion was not part of her childhood. But now she says she is thinking of trying Buddhism.
    研究显示,美国年轻人越来越认为自己是心灵的而不是宗教的。伯恩先生说,正念适合他们,正如适合在前苏联长大的鲍尔女士一样。鲍尔女士说,宗教不是她童年的一部分,但现在她想尝试信奉佛教。

    And how is the stressed out dentist after half an hour of mindfulness meditation? Ms. Bauer says the exercise helped stop the noise, or as she puts it, "chatter," in her head.
    在一个小时的正念冥想后,压力是如何离开牙医的呢?鲍尔女士说,这种运动有助于消除杂音,也就是她所说的,她脑子中的喋喋不休。

    "It was just chatter, you know, chatter, chatter. Energy, very jittery energy, inside my body (and) tension and now I feel like almost I'm speaking slower, my body's more relaxed, my heartbeat is slower.
    她说,“它一直在喋喋不休。我身体里有着非常紧张的能量。现在我觉得我说话更慢,我的身体更放松,我的心跳更慢了。”

    And that is the VOA Learning English Health Report. I'm Anna Matteo.
    以上就是本期美国之音慢速英语健康报道的全部内容。我是安娜·马特奥(Anna Matteo)。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)